JWID 97 involved 45 sites and tested
communications interoperability among the United States
military services and its worldwide allies, Australia,
Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and elements of NATO,
during a wartime exercise scenario.

The demonstration took place from July 7th
- 31st and revolved around a conflict between the
fictional countries of Kartuna and Korona.

JWID management rotates throughout the
Department of Defense and was managed by the Navy this year.

JWID 97 marks the third time
Electronic Systems Center has participated in the exercise,
which will be managed by the Air Force in 1998.

"Electronic Systems Center was a major
player in the demonstration, and one of our demonstrations,
JWID 68, was cited as a possible Golden Nugget award by the
Navy," said Major Michael Plowman, Hanscoms JWID
97 site coordinator.

When a JWID demonstration is given Golden
Nugget status, it is recognized by the Joint Chiefs of Staff
and becomes an accelerated acquisition program for immediate
fielding, according to Plowman.

JWID 68 is a deployable, distributed, Joint
Forces Air Component Commander, with an airborne command
cell.

"Its purpose is to demonstrate that an
Air Force commander can manage and control his forces, while
enroute to a theater of operations," said Plowman.

"This principal demonstration was one
of four recognized by the Navy for Golden Nugget status
because, for the first time, it gave the Navy the ability to
link-up a Naval Air Operations Center with its Air Force
counterpart."

"JWID 28 was another standout,"
said Plowman. "It was ranked the best of the 12
demonstrations supported by the 8th Air Force at
Barksdale Air Force Base, La."

JWID 28 combines a Synthetic Aperture Radar
Joint STARS image with topographical data from U.S. national
imagery databases to provide a clear ground picture for the
warfighter.

This years JWID force structure
combined elements of U.S. and allied air, sea and ground
units and, for the first time, included a U.S. Naval aircraft
carrier battle group, led by the USS Hohn C. Stennis, an
amphibious task force and a submarine, the USS Atlanta, as
primary demonstration sites.

"JWID gave us the chance to show our
command and control expertise to a worldwide audience,"
said Plowman. "We were able to electronically link key
components of the battlefield and to show that communications
interoperability is the key to the conflict of the
future."

For more information, contact Jack Rankin via email- [email protected]
or at ESC's Office of Public Affairs - (617) 377-4467